I played this game for the first time just recently and I was baffled by the similarities to Cybernator (actually I used to play Assault Suits Valken, which is slightly superior to Cybernator) - the controls, several weapons, the visual style of the map, even some of the enemy designs are almost identical. I was really surprised about how blatantly this was ripped off, only then I read that parts of the development team were in both projects.
Anyways, Gun Hazard was done by Omiya Soft and published by Squaresoft - makes sense that there's some RPG elements to it. As someone who loves Assault Suits Valken, this is an interesting variation, although ultimately, I must say I prefer the insane over-the-top action combined with just a bit of a story. The narrative in Gun Hazard is quite extensive, there are frequent and lenghtly dialogues, which get in the way of the action and slow the game down, imo. Also, there are several missions that feel like fillers to stretch the length of the game and to let you grind for EXP.
There are at least some design weaknesses that I noticed, e.g.: Twice I ran into sections where I could not progress unless I bought the most recent Vernier Unit (jetpack for your mech, basically), which I guess would be fine in nonlinear exploration games, but seems a bit misplaced here. The thing is, obstacles like these are not at all common here. Also, you need to have a specific level to even be able to buy these items.
I suppose the most annoying aspect of the game is that, although there is no contact damage, exploding enemies hurt you. A lot. That wouldn't be so bad if the enemies would not constantly try to sit on your face, and as a result, you're mostly busy trying to keep a distance from the enemies, which becomes real tedious.
On the positive side, I like the variety in weapons and items, as well as the high number of party members with unique functions, which adds a lot to replayability. I mostly was joined by Clark during my first playthrough and hardly used any primary weapon other than the shotgun, so I guess I will be back for more.
The graphics are beautifully made, in particular the diverse locations with their distinct backgrounds are amazing, as are the light and weather effects. The animations are so smooth, all of this combined is just mindblowing for a SNES game. I also love the fact that you can leave your mech to move around small corridors, like in Metal Warriors, which adds a bit of an exploration element. I avoided this during my first playthrough, since it's mostly deadly lol, but again: replayability.
The music is just terrific, most of you may recognize the composers' names from the Final Fantasy series and from Chrono Trigger. However, comparing it to Valken, the SFX feel like a downgrade.
Anyways, overall, I'm sure I will play it again, although I am much more in favor of action games and therefore am more into Assault Suits Valken. However, since the SNES library was heavily leaning towards RPGs and attracted the players accordingly - meaning the community is probably more interested in RPGs than in action - I am wondering which of the two games you preferred? (Maybe also throw Metal Warriors into the ring, which I did not play yet.)
Moreover, as the game is quite beautifully done, overall well polished, and by no means targeted at a Japanese audience exclusively, I am wondering why it was never released in the west. Probably because it would have required considerable censorship for the American market? In Cybernator, basically one key cutscene was removed - here it would have been more work, maybe, idk. Does anyone know?
